Mandatory body armor policies rise in wake of officer death increase

Federal study used input from officers on the street to examine how agencies comply with policies

Kevin Johnson
USA TODAY

WASHINGTON — A rising number of law enforcement officers are required to wear body armor after two consecutive years in which police were being killed by gunfire with increasing frequency, a new Justice Department study has found.

Ninety-two percent of officers reported that their agencies now have mandatory body armor policies, up from 59% in a similar 2009 survey.